15 October 2009 7:28 PM

This weekend's Polish Grand Prix could spring the speedway surprise of the decade if Tomasz Gollob or Emil Sayfutdinov end up being crowned World Champion.

Jason Crump would have to have an absolute stinker but anything is possible now he is injured. Crump has a comfortable 17-point lead but with the Aussie struggling to come back from a nasty arm injury, who would bet against Gollob going through the card in his own backyard at Bydgoszcz?

If Gollob, who has won six of the last 11 GP’s at Bydgoszcz, collected the full 24 points on offer, Crump would have to score at least eight to clinch the title. And after scoring just four points at the Italian Grand Prix, Crump could have his work cut out.

It would certainly be cruel on Crump if he didn’t claim his third world championship after building up such a big lead but I think few would be disappointed if Gollob won the title, as he is one of the best riders never to have won it.

Sayfutdinov cannot be ruled out either but for him to claim a rostrum place in his rookie GP season would be an absolutely outstanding achievement. The young Russian has been a breath of fresh air in the GP series and he is just what the organisers, BSI, wanted.

Of course, surprise packet Magnus Zetterstrom has gone and really put the cat amongst the pigeons after winning the GP Challenge. He's 38 in December and the last thing BSI wanted was somebody like Zetterstrom qualifying for next year’s series. They are itching to get new blood in the Grand Prix and want more Sayfutdinovs. Thankfully, for them, young Aussie Chris Holder – and Poland’s Jarek Hampel - did qualify from the GP Challenge. And Holder, especially, is a welcome addition to the series.

The fight for who finishes eighth in Poland will be another fascinating element to Saturday’s Grand Prix. Nicki Pedersen, Kenneth Bjerre, Hans Andersen, Fredrik Lindgren and Rune Holta are all in the mix – but I bet Holta – at 36, doesn’t get a seeded place from the ageist BSI in 2010 if he’s finishes outside the top eight.

As for Great Britain, Chris Harris has certainly found his form recently after qualifying for the semi-finals of the last GP in Italy and finishing runner-up at the Elite League Riders’ Championship. Purely, on the basis there is no Brit - other than maybe teenager Tai Woffinden, I expect Harris, who is also current British Champion, to receive a wildcard for the fourth successive year in 2010 – not that I’m saying that is necessarily right.

I had championed Lee Richardson’s inclusion but I don’t think it’s going to happen – particularly after he withdrew from the ELRC with sickness. He was easily the best Brit at the World Cup but the ELRC could have given him a great chance to put himself in the GP shop window.

As for Woffinden, he will have his doubters, but who’s to say he couldn’t make a similar impact in the Grand Prix to Sayfutdinov. Obviously, BSI have to pick at least one Brit - especially if they want to attract fans to the British Grand Prix at Cardiff – but word is they will vouch for two which could mean Harris and Woffinden.

Sweden’s Antonio Lindback and Matej Zagar of Slovenia could come into the reckoning but one or both their inclusions could depend on whether Holta qualifies and whether BSI go for just one Brit. After Poland, when we have a new world champion and the top eight has been decided, let the debate begin.

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14 September 2009 12:15 AM

The question is can Emil Sayfutdinov do it? Can he overhaul Jason Crump’s 26-point lead at the top of the Speedway Grand Prix standings with two rounds to go? It’s unlikely but the young teenage Russian sensation is certainly not going to give up without a fight after going through the card at the Slovenian Grand Prix.

Seven wins, 24 points. A marvelous display by Sayfutdinov. Crump certainly hasn’t looked himself in the last two Grands Prix and will no doubt be looking over his shoulder at Satfutdinov and realising that the Russian is not that far behind.

Crump did do all the hardwork at the start of the season by winning three out of the first five GPs but it just goes to show how complacency can begin to set in when you think it’s all sewn up. I still think Crump will do it but Sayfutdinov could make it go down to the last Grand Prix in Poland at least.

The evergreen Tomasz Gollob got himself on the podium again – his fifth of the year –and it looks to be a straight battle with Greg Hancock, who finished on nine, for the bronze medal.

As for Rune Holta. Well he certainly has saved the best til last hasn’t he? Thirty four of his 77 points have come in his last two Grands Prix. He’s now just three points off the final qualifying spot – so who knows he could end up eliminating Nicki Pedersen!

The World Champion, currently eighth, reached only his second final of year – although incredibly he only had 10 points to show for it. He did a miss a GP but it really has not been the Dane’s year. Nonetheless, there's no doubt he will get a seeded place if he doesn’t finish in the top eight.

Young upstarts Fredrik Lindgren, Kenneth Bjerre and the inconsistent Andreas Jonsson all finished down the order. Jonsson, fresh from his annual GP win last time out Nordic – scored just five as did Hans Andersen. I expected so much from Andersen this year but I don’t think he will qualify now. He will be hoping his two third places this season will be enough to warrant an invitation from the organisers.

Scott Nicholls scraped through to his first semi-final of the season and he may even catch his compatriot Chris Harris now. Nicholls is just 13 points behind Harris or though it will be a travesty if either of them are seeded through to 2010 purely on the basis they are British. Nicholls is finished as a GP rider now as far as I’m concerned, while Harris only ever rides well at Cardiff.

I understand Tai Woffinden is being rumored to take the GB slot next year but I’m afraid I can’t see him doing a Sayfutdinov in the GP and it could shatter his confidence by putting him in such an established field at such a young age. Of course, Harris could still qualify from the GP Challenge at Coventry on Friday but former GP man Lee Richardson still gets my vote for next year. He can gate – which none of the other Brits can do on a consistent basis – and he can come from the back. He deserves one more chance.

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24 August 2009 1:38 PM

Well what can you say about Greg Hancock - he's 39-year-old and still winning Grand Prixs. He seems to have no intentions of slowing down and retiring - and who can blame him after his tremendous victory at the Latvian Grand Prix.

He is undisputedly the best American speedway rider of all time in my book and one who will never be bettered. Yes Bruce Penhall one two world titles to Hancock's one and had he not chucked it all in to star in a crap American TV series, he would have perhaps won more. And Sam Ermolenko (1993) and Billy Hamill (1996) have also both been crowned World Champions.

But it is Hancock (pictured on one wheel below), maybe fortunate not to have suffered any serious injury - who is still putting in the laps and, incredibly, the Californian is the only competitor to have taken part in every single Grand Prix since its introduction in 1995.

The only thing that is puzzling is that the 1997 World Champion has not won more Grands Prix as Latvia was, believe it or not, only the 10th win of his career. He won’t catch World Championship leader Jason Crump but nevertheless another medal to add to his two bronze (1996, 2004) and silver (2006) appears certain after his 20-point haul in Latvia.

Gollob, who finished third in Lativa, is another rider who continues to defy his advancing years. The Pole, at 38, is very much in the same mould as Hancock. He’s the king of Polish speedway and, despite several challengers over the years, is still yet to be dethroned.

Denmark’s Kenneth Bjerre, fresh from his magnificent performances in the World Cup, certainly showed he fully deserves his place in the Grand Prix after finishing second.

The pint-sized Dane reminds me of 1991 World Champion Jan O’Pedersen. Bjerre not only has a similar riding style but also seems to have sneaked up on the Danish established order of Nicki Pedersen and Hans Andersen – much like Jan O’ did on Hans Nielsen and Erik Gundersen did in the Eighties and in that World Final at Gothenburg.

The Peterborough rider is now seventh in the overall standings and with Nicki (8th) and Hans (9th) behind him, it’s going to be fascinating to see who finishes in the top eight and qualifies for next year's series.

Another Dane Niels-Kristen Iversen, a wildcard in Latvia, was also on the charge in Daugavpils and did well to qualify for the semi-finals after two opening last places.

Crump, by his own admission, had a ‘bad’ Grand Prix and was still fourth on 10 points. His nearest title challenger, Russian teenager Emil Sayfutdinov, failed to take advantage and bowed out of the semi-finals on the same amount of points.

Leigh Adams broke a run of poor run of results in his last four GPS and came fifth or though I still fully expect it to be the Australian’s last year riding in the world championship.

No surprises at the lower order with Rune Holta, Grzegorz Walasek and Sebastian Ulamek – and sorry to say Brits Chris Harris and Scott Nicholls – predictably making up the numbers, while Swede Andreas Jonsson and the all-or-nothing Fredrik Lindgren flattered to deceive again. They could all sure learn a lot from Hancock and Gollob.

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30 July 2009 1:29 AM

Great Britain manager Rob Lyon may have shown courage in axing captain Scott Nicholls and blooding the youngsters for the Speedway World Cup but anybody would have thought we had won it after all the backslapping afterwards.

Yes Lyon did the right thing leaving out Nicholls – though it would later haunt him in the race-off - and top-point scorer Lee Richardson in Event Two as clearly Britain were always going to beat Slovenia into fourth place and qualify for the race-off. If they hadn’t then that really would have been a worry.

The experience the young Brits would have gleaned from riding against some of the best riders in the world will have done them no harm at all. As it was, Daniel King, who came under some unnecessary stick from Sky Sports pundit Kelvin Tatum for his inclusion in the squad, impressed and did well to finish on nine points – just being pipped on the line by Tomasz Gollob in one race.

Lewis Bridger didn’t disgrace himself in Event Two and had five points from his first three rides – taking the scalps of Gollob and Australia’s Ryan Sullivan in the process – only to fade in his last two rides. But he’s still only 19. Same can be said of 18-year-old Tai Woffinden, although he didn’t really perform at Peterborough, merely just beating the Slovenians in four out of his five rides.

Edward Kennett, on the other hand, was a major flop. The day obviously got to him a little but having ridden in the British Grand Prix at Cardiff, and this being his second successive World Cup, I thought he would have at least been third highest scorer among the Brits.

As for Chris Harris, he hardly led from the front. He has to be one of the few riders with the least expectations of himself. He said he was ‘happy’ with how he rode and ‘proud’ because the ‘boys rode their hearts out’. Some of them might have but he can hardly say he did. One race win – the ‘joker’ ride and against weak opposition – giving him an inflated 11 points as Poland, joined by the sensational Russians in Event One, marched on to the final and Australia, along with Sweden – second in Event One - to the race-off.

Moving on to the race-off and well what I can say, Richardson (leading, above) was fantastic, carrying Britain with an immense 17 points. Despite one poor World Cup last year, Richardson rarely lets this country down in this competition. He wants his place back in the Grand Prix next year and he should be given it in my opinion. Bridger, as Lyon admitted, had a ‘nightmare’, King was out of his depth against stronger opposition, while Woffinden, surprisingly, improved.

In the end, the Brits missed out by just two points to Sweden, no thanks to Harris’ last place in Heat 25 – ‘Bomber’ again winning just one race all night. One wonders if Lyon, for all his ‘bravery’, had recalled Nicholls – as well as Richardson - would the Brits have made their first final under the new national team boss. Yes, Nicholls has been drastically out of form in the GP, but even he would have scored more than Bridger and King – who scored one point between them.

Not anywhere, has Lyon been quizzed on his decision to leave out the former GB captain. On the contrary, he feels ‘vindicated’ by the choices he’s made. ‘We’re not that far away when you look at it,’ he says. Are you kidding? Not far from scraping into a World Cup final and being the fourth best country in the world? And that would have been only because World Cup holders Denmark were robbed of Nicki Pedersen and Hans Andersen through injury? Lyon continues: ‘Having said that, we are at a rebuilding stage.’ Make your mind up Rob.

It could be worse I guess. Lyon could be Craig Boyce. After falling out with Sullivan, who was poor in Event One, he omitted him from the rest of the World Cup. Bearing in mind, Australia lost the final by a single point, and Sullivan’s replacement, the vastly inexperienced Troy Batchelor (centre, above) scored four points, will Boyce also look at this World Cup as the one that got away?

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16 June 2009 11:40 PM

If anybody put a bet on Emil Sayfutdinov being crowned world champion at the start of the season - they could be in for a massive windfall but he should not have won the Swedish Grand Prix.

Nobody could have imagined the 19-year-old would have won one Grand Prix this season - let alone two out of the opening three rounds. He may have been lucky not to get excluded after clashing with Nicki Pedersen in the final on Saturday but his win was still nothing short of sensational - and the world championship already looks like becoming a two-horse race between him and Jason Crump.

The contrast, however, between the two title contenders could not be any more different. While Sayfutdinov is fearless and exciting, Crump, at the age of 34, is quietly going about his business in his quest to become world champion for the third time.

On another awful surface in Sweden, Crump had the final won but allowed the charging Sayfutdinov through to take the win. The Aussie’s been around long enough. He knew it was safer to finish second than to dice with the daredevil Russian and end up biting the dust on a horrendous track full of dangerous ruts.

Although Sayfutdinov should have not even been in the final after Pedersen was excluded for bringing him down in the first turn of the last lap. A similar incident happened between the two riders in the semi-final in Poland. On that occasion, Pedersen roared up the back straight entering the third and fourth turns on the last lap and passed Sayfutdinov, who glanced over and looked at his rival twice - before losing third.

The same thing happened on Saturday - albeit on a different section of the track. Once again, Sayfutdinov looked to his left twice as Pedersen prepared to make his move only this time the Russian attempted to block the world champion’s run it by turning left – only to end up on his backside. It’s not often you can side with Pedersen but on this occasion, his reputation got him kicked out of the race and Sayfutdinov was lucky.

Antonio Lindback, meanwhile, made a fantastic return to the Grand Prix as a wildcard to finish third. Andreas Jonsson scored double figures for the third successive GP and remains third overall in the series. Rune Holta, Fredrik Lindgren and Kenneth Bjerre did well enough to make the semi-finals. The Poles were inconsistent, while Greg Hancock and Leigh Adams had absolute nightmares.

Adams' return of three points was his lowest since the current GP format was adopted in 2005. Hancock was visibly angry after falling in his second ride and finished with just five. Hans Andersen’s season is in imploding and he needs a big result at the Danish Grand Prix.

Chris Harris made a solid start and won his first GP race of the season in Heat One but faded – although bizarrely he beat four of the current top five, including Crump, Hancock, Sayfutdinov, and Pedersen for his five points.

As for Scott Nicholls, he just looks like a broken man at the moment after scoring one point for the second successive Grand Prix. My prediction of him having a Lee Richardson-type 2006 season, unfortunately, seems to ringing true. Let’s hope he can bounce back before it’s too late – and before the British Grand Prix later this month.

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15 June 2009 6:15 PM

Jason Crump certainly proved the old guard isn’t ready to stand down just yet after winning the European Grand Prix in Poland.

A professional - if not spectacular display - from Crump saw the Australian take a nine-point lead at the top of the standings - and he was duly joined by old timers Tomasz Gollob, who finished second, and Greg Hancock in the final.

So what happened to the young guns? Fredrik Lindgren? Two points? Incredible? The Wolverhampton rider top-scored with 22 points in the opening round in Prague and has looked a cut above the rest - but at Leszno he was a shadow of the rider who is top of the averages in the Elite League.

It is only Lindgren's second season in the world championship but his lack of consistency is puzzling to say the least. He was totally off the pace - or though it has to be said the track was awful - and not suitable for Grand Prix racing in my opinion.

Don't fear though. Russian teenager Emil Sayfutdinov certainly proved his remarkable win in Prague was no fluke. I can't believe he's only 19. He has no fear, is not intimidated by reputations, and is just so fast! His straight line speed alone is breathtaking.

And he did well to pick himself up and dust himself down after some rough treatment from Nicki Pedersen. Pedersen clashed with Grzegorz Walasek in a tight first turn in Heat 15 - the impact sending the Dane into Sayfutdinov - who copped a load of air fence for his troubles.

Referee Istvan Darago wasted little time in excluding Pedersen which I think was the right decision. Pedersen tried to clamp Walasek on the inside and the Pole wouldn't have any of it. Walasek nudged him and Pedersen lost control and crashed into Sayfutdinov.

Shame Darago let himself down in Heat 19 when for no apparent reason he allowed Andreas Jonsson back in the re-run even though the Swede touched the tapes? Astonishing decision considering Jonsson ended up finishing third in the final.

Greg Hancock was silky smooth winning his first three heats and seems to be getting better with age. Wildcard Jarek Hampel's pass of Crump in Heat 16 was fantastic and he showed he can still mix it with the Grand Prix stars - at least in Poland. As did Sebastian Ulamek - who popped out the start and won a couple of races.

Leigh Adams went from the sublime to the ridiculous. He made a brilliant pass of Gollob in Heat Nine, was last in his next race, and fell off in his final outing! Hans Andersen failed to win a race and a move back to the Elite League surely can not come any quicker for him.

As for the Brits, well Chris Harris, at least, looks on the pace and perhaps deserved more than his five points. But for Scott Nicholls, it just gets worse. Four fat zeros and a third place. And who did he beat for his one point? Harris, of course. If Nicholls rode as hard as he does against his British team-mate, he would probably be world champion.

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21 May 2009 1:15 PM

Don't ever write off Chris Harris! That certainly appeared to be the Cornishman's message after he clinched his second British title at Wimborne Road last night - or though my pick Edward Kennett at least finished runner-up and claimed the coveted wildcard at next month's British Grand Prix at the Millennium Stadium.

The British lads served up a real treat at Poole and proves the British Final is well and truly back on the map as a major championship event having been in the doldrums for years as a non-event after being eclipsed by the Grand Prix.

There was tons of passing - including Kennett's breathtaking overtake of Harris - and it was fantastic to see so many young and upcoming riders giving it their all in an event which has seriously lacked real talent over the years.

I really felt for Lee Richardson though. Such is the format these days, he will have been bitterly disappointed to have finished fourth in the final after top-scoring with 14 points.

Had this been the old system, Richardson would have become British Champion for the first time and deservely so as he was faultless in his first four rides - dropping just a point to reigning champion Scott Nicholls.

Nicholls, who has had a dreadful start to this season's Grand Prix, as predicted, was way off the pace and scored just four points from his first three rides.

The 30-year-old looked a shadow of the rider who had won five titles in seven years - only clearing up his act towards the end of the meeting when he won his last two rides to qualify for the semi-final - where he duly finished last.

Nicholls' post-race TV interviews said it all for me. He's extremly low on confidence but if he doesn't sort out his issues soon I fear a repeat of Richardson's awful GP season back in 2006.

As for Harris, his form in the GP has been average at best and his performances for Coventry very inconsistent. He was the fourth highest ranking Brit in the Elite League averages going into the British Final.

But he certainly pulled it out the bag last night with probably the only gate he's made this season to win the final from Kennett, who sensationally passed him in an earlier heat to automatically book his place in the final on 13 points.

In an incredible Heat 20, Kennett squeezed right up against the fence on the back straight and just managed to nip pass his Coventry team-mate in one of several daredevil moves last night.

Tai Woffinden was also impressive and finished third for the second sucessive year - brilliantly passing Richardson to claim a podium place after scoring 11 points in the qualifying heats.

Simon Stead was lucky to make the semi-finals after Lewis Bridger messed up his fourth ride. The Eastbourne teenager was one of my tips for the final and started well with eight points from his first three rides but a lack of experience at this level really cost him.

On that basis, Great Britain boss Rob Lyon has to go with Kennett and Woffinden - as well as the usual experienced trio of Nicholls, Harris and Richardson for this summer's World Cup.

Bridger is very close to becoming a fully-fledged international but not quite yet. If anything he's a victim of Kennett and Woffiden's success but another season will put him in a better position.

As for Stead, I'm sorry to say he's not in the same class as Kennett, Woffinden - or Bridger for that matter - and there's no way Lyon can consider him for the World Cup.

Joe Screen also showed he was unable to mix it with the young boys despite his resurgence since leaving Belle Vue for Poole last winter. Ipswich's Daniel King is worth keeping an eye on though. He was really fast and could have made the semi-final had he not touched the tapes in his one of the qualifying heats.

It all bodes well for the Team GB though as, while the likes of Denmark and Poland won't be looking over the shoulders yet, last night demonstrated Britain can become a real force in world speedway in the next couple of years.

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19 May 2009 2:13 PM

Tomorrow night’s British Final at Poole is going to be ultra competitive if last night is anything to go by.

Edward Kennett and Lee Richardson had two terrific clashes in the televised Elite League clash between Coventry and Lakeside on Sky Sports – winning one race apiece - and both will be gunning for each other in Dorset.

Five-time British Champion Scott Nicholls is undoubtedly the favourite to make it six titles in eight years but after his dreadful start to the Grand Prix I don’t think he will have it all his own way on Wednesday night. Nicholls, who decided to give the Elite League a miss this year, has ridden fewer matches than his competitors and I think the British Final has come too soon for him. This could be his only meeting in England this year.

Nicholls certainly can’t expect to win it as easily as he has done in the past as the level of competition this year is much higher. Instead of just having to just beat Chris Harris, who Nicholls lost the title to 2007, there is at least four other riders capable of causing an upset at Wimborne Road.

Former Grand Prix star Richardson appears to have recaptured some of his old fighting spirit since joining Lakeside this season and is finally taking the British Final seriously with the added carrot of a wildcard place at the British Grand Prix next month up for grabs.

Young guns Edward Kennett, Lewis Bridger and Tai Woffinden have all had terrific starts to the season and could be real spoilers tomorrow night.

I think Coventry skipper Harris, who failed to win a race in the 48-42 reverse at Lakeside last night, will be lucky to reach the final. He is yet to pull up any trees in the Grand Prix yet and I don’t think he is even riding like at number one at Coventry at the moment to be in with a chance of winning his second title.

If I was a betting man, I’d have to put my money on Kennett to be the surprise winner at Poole. Kennett is riding with such confidence since he switched from Eastbourne to Coventry during the winter. It is the best move he will ever make. His former Eastbourne team-mate Bridger should do the same next season.

Kennett can gate and is not afraid to come from the back as he demonstrated in a fantastic tussle with Richardson in Heat 12 last night where the lead must have changed a dozen or so times.

I expect Nicholls, Kennett and Bridger all to make the final with Richardson and Woffinden battling it out for the last spot with Harris not too far behind.

Joe Screen and Simon Stead will be among the points and it’s a shame Coventry duo Ben Barker and Oliver Allen are out with injury as they would have mixed it up.

Either way, it promises to be the most competitive British Final since the days of Kenny Carter, and one which could see a new British Champion crowned.

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29 April 2009 4:45 PM

Thank goodness for Emil Sayfutdinov. The 19-year-old's fabulous victory in Prague on Saturday night makes this the most exciting start to a Grand Prix season for years.

The world championship has been in desperate need of a shake up at the top after being dominated by Nicki Pedersen, Jason Crump and Tony Rickardsson for the last decade. But Sayfutdinov's arrival on the Grand Prix stage gives us hope of a tightly-contested series this year.

Sayfutdinov's win is one of the biggest shocks in the history of the series, perhaps only equalled by Chris Harris' incredible victory at the British Grand Prix in 2007. Of course, the good news is that the Russian was not the only threat to the established order.

Sweden's Fredrik Lindgen was the leading scorer on the night with 19 and is top of the averages in the Elite League. Crump still finished third and Pedersen, Leigh Adams and Greg Hancock also scored double figures. But Sayfutdinov (above) - the youngest ever winner of a Grand Prix - and Lindgren have proved they are ready to take on the old brigade and start a new world order.

There was also an impressive 10-point return from Grand Prix debutant Kenneth Bjerre who only missed out on a place in the final after he was beat by the excellent Lindgren in the first semi-final. Unfortunately the form of Sayfutdinov (below), Lindgren and Bjerre could not inspire the Brits. Harris scored six points while Scott Nicholls struggled on just four.

More strangely was the fact that Harris said he was 'pleased' with his performance, while Nicholls blamed his poor display on a virus, but as always is remaining 'positive'.

Hans Andersen also struggled which was a surprise as I expected the Dane to really kick on this season and I’m sure he will be disappointed to finish 10th. The fact Andersen and Nicholls are not racing in the Elite League this year has clearly not benefited their GP cause yet. Although to be fair to Andersen, he admited as much in the post-GP interviews.

A good night’s work from Andreas Jonsson keeps him in the hunt early on and while Tomasz Gollob only scored seven and failed to win a race, you can bet he will on the pace when the world championship switches to Poland in a fortnight's time. Expect a strong performance from world champion Pedersen (leading, above) too. It's not often he doesn't qualify for a final. Grzegorz Walasek and Sebastian Ulamek predictably made up the numbers. Rune Holta had an absolute disaster and finished rock bottom.

But let's hope Sajfutdinov (below) and the other young upstarts can continue to unsettle the old establishment when the series moves to Leszno on May 9 for what is sure to be another great Grand Prix.

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09 April 2009 3:30 PM

I’m so glad to hear Billy Hamill received a good sending off in his farewell meeting at Wolverhampton. Billy the 'Bullet' was a real racer in every sense of the word and an absolute delight to watch on a speedway bike. He was perhaps not the most naturally gifted rider but his bravery and courage is what made the sometimes out of control American ultimately world champion in 1996.

Hamill may be overshadowed by the inevitable comparison to compatriot Greg Hancock - who will be challenging for the world title again this season at the age of 38 – when it comes to the history books. But had Hamill not suffered such horrendous injuries during his career the Californian could well have proved a force in the Grand Prix for much longer.

It also should not be forgotten that Hamill came to England to join British League side Cradley Heath a year after Hancock in 1990 and initially achieved more success than his fellow countryman. Hamill qualified for the 1991 World Final at Gothenburg in only his second competitive season - two years before Hancock made his debut at Poking in ‘93.

Hancock came close to winning at Vojens in 1994 but it was Hamill (right) who clinched the title first after piping Hans Nielsen to the championship in one of greatest Grand Prix seasons to date in 1996. Hamill had to settle for the silver medal behind Hancock the following year and his form slid drastically in 1998. And things went from bad to worse when he broke his back in a collision with Jason Crump during the last round of the series at Bydgoszcz.

Ironically, Crump clinched the eighth qualifying place for the 1999 series, and Hamill was eliminated from the series. Even more ironic was the fact Hamill blamed Crump for the crash and called the Australian a ‘real s*it’ for never visiting him in hospital afterwards in his book No Bull -The Authorised Biography of Billy Hamill. And yet Hamill, now 38, invited double world champion Crump to his farewell meeting – and he won it! Hamill no doubt knowing a rare Crump appearance in England might add a few more fans to the gate!

Back to 1999, and, Hamill struggled to recover fully from his injuries and was eliminated from the series. However he came back with a vengeance, winning the Grand Prix Challenge at the end of that year to book his place in the 2000 series. And but for a wet seat – he fell off at the 2000 British Grand Prix at Coventry which cost him vital points – he could have broke British fans’ hearts and won his second world title at the expense of Mark Loram.

By 2001, the game was really up as far as Hamill (far left) challenging for the world championship was concerned. The new Kenny Roberts sponsorship proved more a hindrance than help and the fancy new carbon fibre fairing offered no advantage over his rivals. He carried on for one more year and did qualify for the 2003 series but decided to call it a day - the withdrawal of Roberts' sponsorship another cause for his GP retirement.

Hamill continued to concentrate on league racing before he finally hung up his kevlars on doctor’s advice as injuries took their toll. But for me, he will always be remembered for his never-say-die overtaking maneuvers and sheer determination to win races.

He was also no pushover. I remember him vividly riding into Tomasz Gollob in the pits after the Pole had tried to knock him off at Grand Prix in 1998. The TV cameras caught everything and the later interview with Hamill afterwards was just class.